Regional Biotechnology Workforce Training Project

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California, with over 2700 life sciences companies, is an indispensable contributor to US success and global leadership in this arena. As the life sciences sector in California has matured, the pipeline of new cures, devices and diagnostics has grown to over 900 new product candidates this year. However, the majority of California’s life sciences companies are small, private businesses. Their need for a workforce trained in commercial product development and clinical trials management is acute. The industry’s workforce needs a responsive and agile educational system to sustain its leadership into the future.

The life sciences industry represents one of the nation’s most promising high tech growth industries in terms of job creation, entry level opportunities, wage growth and career path possibilities. To sustain the current lead in global life sciences, workforce development platforms are required to prepare a specialized workforce for the high skills jobs of tomorrow. Industry leaders know that the higher education systems in California are supplying excellent graduates from fundamental science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and research programs. However, this sector also requires employees who are familiar with the industry’s regulated environment, clinical product development, and production requirements that lead to safe and effective therapies, devices and diagnostics. The life sciences industry has overwhelmingly endorsed the need for industry-responsive training programs, recognizing that 80% of the research and testing workforce is made up of professionals at the masters’ degree level or lower. California’s community colleges and state universities are uniquely positioned to fill this need, organized around and coordinated by three regional workforce training centers.

In response, the CSUPERB program has partnered with a full range of academic institutions in the state (vocational training, community college, and four-year), incubator organizations and the state's biotech industry associations to start up regional workforce training centers.

Together these partners can serve small biotechnology companies by providing direct, industry-responsive training programs and access to applied research laboratories and facilities, while also serving communities as a clearinghouse for job placement and career development. The centers will offer practical, cutting-edge laboratory experiences, short-term workshops, specialized courses and programs taught within the context of the regulated business environment unique to this industry. Industry mentors and experts, along with sophisticated industry laboratory and manufacturing instrumentation not generally accessible by educational institutions and small businesses, will be made accessible to the life sciences communities in these regions. These centers will facilitate training and placement of highly skilled individuals -- from entry-level technical staff through career scientists -- in the biotechnology industry and other relevant fields.

This proposal is supported by California’s biotechnology industry organizations: BayBio; the Southern California Biomedical Council; BIOCOM; and the California Healthcare Institute. The facilities will be located at or near CSU campuses and overseen and coordinated by the CSUPERB program. The lead regional campuses are CSU East Bay (in partnership with BayBio, San Jose State University, San Francisco State University, Humboldt State University and Contra Costa Community College); CSU Los Angeles (in partnership with the Pasadena Bioscience Center, the Southern California Biomedical Council, Pasadena City College, CSU Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Channel Islands, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Long Beach, CSU San Bernardino, and CSU Northridge); and San Diego State University (in partnership with BIOCOM, CONNECT, the San Diego Community College District, Miramar Community College and CSU San Marcos). The three centers will focus upon specific technologies and develop complementary training functions to be disseminated statewide using internet technologies and faculty workshops.

Federal funds requested ($6 million from the Small Business Administration and/or Health Resources and Services Administration account) will be distributed equally among the three centers, one in each of the state’s regions with the highest concentration of biotechnology companies, and will be used for program development, presentation and staffing, equipment and materials, initial operating costs, and other direct costs. The $6 million would be leveraged by existing infrastructure and new sources of revenue. The FY 2008 Small Business Administration budget includes $282,000 for the start-up of the Los Angeles Basin training center. The CSU has also obtained nearly a million dollars from the Sloan Foundation to develop industry-responsive Professional Science Masters (PSM) programs. CSUPERB will continue to apply for funding under the America Competes and Workforce Investment Acts. Receipt of federal dollars will enable the program to better compete for private monetary and in-kind contributions. Importantly additional funds would allow the purchase of instrumentation for hands-on applied research and development training. Ultimately, receipt of this request would enable the program to grow and stabilize over the next three years. Thereafter the centers would become self-sustaining based on industry support, tuition and course registration fees.

Additional information:

California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology

Jim Gelb, Assistant Vice Chancellor
CSU Office of Federal Relations
(202) 434-8060

Dr. Susan M. Baxter, Executive Director
CSUPERB
(619) 594-2510